


Birds of a Feather

by darknutmeg



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is a park ranger, Birds, Fluff and Mush, Kid Fic, M/M, just a silly little fic with Alec and his son, parent malec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 21:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19838851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darknutmeg/pseuds/darknutmeg
Summary: Park ranger Alec takes his young son on a bird watching trip





	Birds of a Feather

**Author's Note:**

> One night I had a dream about park ranger Alec taking his son bird watching. I have absolutely no clue where that idea came from but here we are. I couldn't let it go and I needed to push through some writers block so please enjoy some silly kid fluff with a cameo appearance from Papa Magnus near the end. 
> 
> <3

Early morning sun filtered in through the branches of the towering trees, casting delicate shadows across the forest floor. A gentle breeze was sweeping through the forest and the creek nearby trickled away through the rocks. In Alec’s mind it was a perfect morning. 

He was currently trailing behind his son Maxwell who was walking with sure feet across the forest, carefully avoiding any fallen tree branches so as to not make too much noise. Maxwell was an enthusiastic bird watcher, a hobby he had picked up when he was barely five years old. Now he could name off hundreds of different species and identify them by their markings, it was incredible. A couple of years ago Alec started taking him out on bird watching trips, these outings quickly became Alec’s favourite part of the week. Nearly every Saturday they were out amongst the trees, rain or shine. 

Clenched tightly in Maxwell’s hands was his bird guide and homemade scrapbook. Each page of the book included a handwritten date of the recorded sighting and a photo carefully glued underneath. He had only a few pages remaining and today’s adventure hoped to provide at least two new entries. They had already encountered a flock of chickadees, two blue jays and much to Maxwell's delight, a woodpecker. That one he had taken several photos of.

"Do you think we’ll find a cardinal Dad?" Maxwell spoke softly, so as to not make his voice echo. Alec pointed ahead, keeping his voice low as well, “There’s a nest near the next trail, so keep your eyes peeled.” The boy nodded, this was never an issue, Maxwells eyes were always moving, searching for any movement of wings or flash of colour.

They neared the adjacent trail, which was covered with fewer trees, the sunlight shining brighter in spots. The creek flowed beside them into a small lake, which was were Alec spotted a flash of red. The very bird they were searching for was perched on the rocks near the shore, brightly coloured feathers gleaming in the sun. Its head was turning this way and that. 

Maxwell crouched down in the tall grass nearby, a reasonable distance away so as to not scare the bird. He paused, breath quiet, barely moving. Then carefully raised his camera, quickly capturing several photos in succession, before passing the camera to Alec for inspection. "Do they look okay?" Maxwell whispered. 

Alec scrolled through the photos in the viewfinder, the cardinal appearing in all of them, clear as day. In one shot the bird had turned its head toward the camera. Alec smiled, his kid had talent. "Perfect." Alec said, handing the camera back to his son who placed the strap around his neck again. 

Maxwell grinned, “I need to record this in my book,” he sat down on a nearby rock taking a pen from his back pocket. 

Alec took a moment to appreciate the quiet of the forest once more, one of the most enjoyable parts of his job as a forest ranger. He didn’t frequently get to just enjoy the quiet of the park but these outings with Maxwell allowed him that opportunity. For the most part his job involved silencing noisy or troublesome campers in the park but he also gave guided tours three days a week with tourists or locals. Pointing out local wildlife, the trees of the area and the general history attached to the place. Alec felt a kinship with his park. It was a part of him, and he was thrilled his son had grown such an attachment to the place as well.

“Where can we go next?” 

“Hmm..." Alec glanced down the trail, “There might be some ducks further down in the lake.” 

Maxwell opened his bird book, looking down at a page, “Maybe a mallard or a loon? I’ve never seen one of those.” 

“I don’t think there’s any loons around here but you never know, let’s go see. Remember not to go too far ahead.” 

Maxwell sat up from the stump, brushing his pants off, “Okay Dad,” and he headed down the trail, camera bouncing against his chest. Magnus had purchased the camera two years ago when Maxwell’s bird watching hobby really started taking off, he was always careful with the device and took a million photos at a time, it was often difficult to choose a good one as they were all generally winners.

He had stopped by the lake shore, pointing, “Dad, there’s a lot of ducks! Come see!” 

Alec jogged towards his son, sure enough there was a slew of ducks swimming and diving in the lake. Shades of brown, grey and black all merging together. It was an amazing sight. 

“This is so cool!,” Maxwell said, snapping several photos. 

Alec, grinned. It really was.  
  
  
  
  
**LATER THAT DAY**

“Dad where should we put it?” 

“It needs to be in a sunny spot, so maybe next to the tree?” Alec picked the bird bath up, placing it gently near the large oak tree which housed several colourful bird feeders many of which they had assembled together. The backyard fence also had a few handbuilt bird houses attached to it. It was a veritable paradise for all things feathered. 

“A little to the left,” Magnus had appeared on the patio, cup of coffee in his hand and a bright smile on his face. He tilted his head towards the bath, “Did you two build that?” 

Maxwell looked over at Magnus, smiling, “Yeah Papa, this morning! Now we can have more birds in the yard, isn’t it cool?” 

“Absolutely buddy, very cool. I can’t wait for all the morning chirping," Magnus laughed and their son rolled his eyes. “Ignore me, " Magnus said, still chuckling quietly, "It’s perfect Maxwell.” 

“Thanks Papa!” Maxwell smiled brightly, “Can we put some water in it Dad?” 

“Sure but only a little. Remember, we'll have to replace the water when it gets too dirty or has a lot of bugs.” 

“Okay,” Maxwell grabbed the garden hose and carefully sprayed a couple inches of water in the shallow bowl of the bath, “Is that enough?” 

Alec peered into the bowl then offered Maxwell a thumbs up, “Perfect.” 

“I’m going to sit on the picnic table and wait for the birds to come and use it." 

“Sure buddy.” Alec tousled his hair and Maxwell trotted over to the dark green table where his scrapbook was already open to a blank page. 

Magnus joined Alec under the tree, slipping an arm around his waist. Alec leaned into him, “This is lovely darling.” 

“Thanks babe.” Magnus leaned in close to whisper in Alec’s ear, “You know his birthday is coming up, maybe it’s time he had a feathered friend of his own. Hmm?” 

Alec cocked an eyebrow in surprise, “Really? You sure he's ready for that?" 

“Absolutely, that kid knows more about birds than either of us ever will, plus it will teach him some responsibilty and selfishly, I would like to help him pick one out."

Alec grinned, “I think it’s a wonderful idea, he’ll love it.” 

“Of course he will.” Magnus grinned, “After all, birds of a feather - “

“Flock together,” Alec finished and tugged Magnus closer watching as a goldfinch swooped down to investigate the sparkling water.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter - @nutmeg27


End file.
